• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2000

Objective: To describe the neuroradiologic findings of primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (PAPS). Materials and Methods: During a recent two-year period, abnormally elevated antiphospholipid antibodies were detected in a total of 751 patients. In any cases in which risk factors for stroke were detected - hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and the presence of SLE or other connective tissue diseases - PAPS was not diagnosed. Neuroradiologic studies were performed in 11 of 32 patients with PAPS. We retrospectively reviewed brain CT (n = 7), MR (n = 8), and cerebral angiography (n = 8) in 11 patients with special attention to the presence of brain parenchymal lesions and cerebral arterial or venous abnormalities. Results: CT or MR findings of PAPS included nonspecific multiple hyper-intensity foci in deep white matter on T2-weighted images (5/11), a large infarct in the territory of the middle cerebral artery (4/11), diffuse cortical atrophy (2/11), focal hemorrhage (2/11), and dural sinus thrombosis (1/11). Angiographic findings were normal (5/8) or reflected either occlusion of a large cerebral artery (2/8) or dural sinus thrombosis (1/8). Conclusion: Neuroradiologic findings of PAPS are nonspecific but in young or middle- aged adults who show the above mentioned CT or MR findings, and in whom risk factors for stroke are not present, the condition should be suspected.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2020

Objective : To analyze trends in the incidence and treatment of diseases associated with ischemic stroke, namely, cerebral infarction (CI), cerebral arterial stenosis (CASTN), and moyamoya disease (MMD), based on Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data from 2008 to 2016. Methods : Data was extracted from the national health-claim database provided by the NHIS for 2008-2016 using International Classification of Diseases codes. The crude and age-standardized incidences of each disease (CI, CASTN without a history of CI, and MMD) were calculated; additional analyses were conducted according to age and sex. Trends in the number of patients undergoing treatment according to treatment method were analyzed for each disease using the Korean Classification of Diseases procedure codes. Results : In 2016, the total number of adults with newly diagnosed CI was 83939, reflecting a 9.4% decrease from that in 2008. The age-standardized incidence of CI in adults was 153.2 per 100000 person-years in 2016, reflecting a 37.2% decrease from that in 2008, while that of CASTN was 167.3 per 100000 person-years in 2016, reflecting a 73.3% increase from that in 2008. Among treated cases, the number of patients who underwent intra-arterial (IA) treatment, including IA fibrinolysis and mechanical thrombectomy, showed the most prominent increase, increasing at an annual rate of 25.8%. For CASTN, the number of cases treated with carotid artery stenting or balloon angioplasty (CAS) showed the most prominent increase, increasing at a rate of 69.8% over the 9-year period. For MMD, the total number of patients with newly diagnosed MMD and that with adult MMD demonstrated significantly increasing trends, while the number of pediatric patients with newly diagnosed MMD declined by 18.0% over the 9-year period. The age-standardized incidences of pediatric and adult MMD in 2016 were 2.4 and 3.4 per 100000 person-years, respectively. Conclusion : Although the incidence of CI showed a declining trend over a 9-year period, the number and proportion of patients treated for CI increased. Meanwhile, the incidence of CASTN and the number of patients treated for CASTN have demonstrated increasing trends since 2008. On the other hand, the number of patients diagnosed with pediatric MMD decreased, despite no significant change in the incidence. In contrast, the number of patients and the incidence of adult MMD increased. These trends reflect changes in the population structure, gains in the accessibility of imaging examinations, and the development of endovascular techniques.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.492-496
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• 2011

Objective : Direct revascularization surgery is regarded as the most effective method of treatment of adults with moyamoya disease. These patients, however, have a higher risk of perioperative ischemic complications than do patients with atherosclerotic stroke, and are at risk for ischemic complications in the hemisphere contralateral to the one operated on. We investigated the incidence and risk factors for ischemic stroke in the contralateral hemisphere after surgical treatment of adults with moyamoya disease. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and results of neuroimaging studies on 79 hemispheres of 73 consecutive patients with adult moyamoya disease ($mean{\pm}SD$ age, $37.96{\pm}11.27$ years; range, 18-62 years) who underwent direct bypass surgery over 6 years. Results : Ischemic complications occurred in 4 of 79 (5.1%) contralateral hemispheres, one with Suzuki stage 3 and three with Suzuki stage 4. Three patients showed posterior cerebral artery (PCA) involvement by moyamoya vessels. Advanced stage of moyamoya disease (Suzuki stages 4/5/6; $p$=0.001), PCA involvement ($p$=0.001) and postoperative hypotension (mean arterial blood pressure <80% of preoperative mean arterial blood pressure) on the first ($p$<0.0001) and second ($p$=0.003) days after surgery were significantly correlated with postoperative contralateral ischemic complications. Conclusion : In patients with advanced moyamoya disease and involvement of the PCA, intentional hypotension can result in ischemic stroke in the hemisphere contralateral to the one operated on. Careful control of perioperative blood pressure is crucial for good surgical results.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2003

Single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) and positron emission tomography(PET) are modern imaging techniques that allow for both qualitative and quantitative assessment of hemodynamic changes in cerebrovascular diseases. SPECT has been becoming an indispensable method to investigate regional cerebral blood flow because equipment and isotope are easily available in most general hospitals. Acetazolamide stress SPECT has also been proved to be useful to evaluate the cerebrovascular reserve of occlusive cerebrovascular diseases and to select surgical candidate. PET has gained wide spread clinical use in the evaluation of the hemodynamic and metabolic consequences of extracranial or intracranial arterial obstructive disease despite its complexity and limited availability. PET has been established as an invaluable tool in the pathophysilogy investigation of acute ischemic stroke. The potentials, limitations, and clinical applications of SPECT and PET in various cerebrovascular diseases will be discussed in this article with reviews of literatures.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.239-244
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• 2018

Both arterial dissection and atherosclerosis are major causes of cerebral infarction and appear to be occlusion or stenosis in magnetic resonance angiography(MRA) and computed tomographic angiography(CTA). But there are differences in treatment because they have different mechanisms. Recently, as high resolution magnetic resonance image(HR-MRI) develops, the image of blood vessel wall can be confirmed non-invasively. Though HR-MRI has become a very useful method for patients with suspected arterial dissection, differential diagnosis of the two diseases has not yet been fully established due to differences in the findings according to stages of arterial dissection and atherosclerosis. We investigated the differences between vertebral artery dissection and atherosclerosis through HR-MRI in two patients and confirmed the diagnosis by CTA follow-up. In addition to the previously established diagnostic criteria, we determined that the long and severe stenosis and recanalization suggest arterial dissection. Characteristics of arterial dissection confirmed by HR-MR and additional studies will be helpful for the treatment.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.189-194
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• 1992

As people's income and intake of animal fat rapidly increase, so does choresterol concentration in blood. Thus diseases such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus(NIDDM)myocardial infraction, high blood pressure, cerebral stroke resulting from atherosclerosis rapidly increase recently. It is very difficult to diagnose atherosclerosis early since its progress is so slow and there is no sypmtoms in the beginning of the disease. In this study a mechanical characteristic, compliance, of the lower leg arteries was measured noninvasively. Changes of blood volume and pressure were measured using impedance plethysmgraphy and mercury sphygmomanometer, respectively. The compliance was calculated by dividing the change of blood volume by the change of pulse pressure ( systolic-diastolic pressure ) . Subjects were 24 asymptomatic persons ranging (rom 30 Ic 58yeras and 14 diabetics from 41 to 59years. The compliances, mean, and systolic pressures were statistically analyzed using a t-test be- tween the healthy and diabetic groups. The average compliance of the healthy and diabetic group was measured 2.79 and 1.82U1/mmHg/cm, respectively and these were significantly different(p<0.01). It was also found that the compliance is a better parameter in differentiating the vascular disease than mean or systolic blood pressure.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.567-577
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• 2022

Recently, the prevalence of ischemic diseases, such as ischemic heart disease, cerebral ischemia, and peripheral arterial disease, has been continuously increasing due to the aging population. The current standardized treatment for ischemic diseases is reperfusion therapy through pharmacotherapy and surgical approaches. Although reperfusion therapy may restore the function of damaged arteries, it is not effective at restoring the function of the surrounding tissues that have been damaged due to ischemia. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new treatment strategy that can safely and effectively treat ischemic damage and restore the function of surrounding tissues. To overcome these limitations, stem cell-based therapy to regenerate the damaged region has been studied as a promising strategy for ischemic vascular diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from diverse tissues and have been shown to be promising for the treatment of ischemic disease by regenerating damaged tissues through immunomodulation, the promotion of angiogenesis, and the secretion of various relevant factors. Moreover, new approaches to enhancing MSC function, such as cell priming or enhancing transplantation efficiency using a 3D culture method, have been studied to increase stem cell therapeutic efficacy. In this review, we provide various strategies by which MSCs are used to treat ischemic diseases, and we discuss the challenges of MSC transplantation, such as the differentiation, proliferation, and engraftment of MSCs at the ischemic site.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2016

Purpose: Susceptibility vessel sign (SVS) on gradient echo image, which is caused by MR signal loss due to arterial thrombosis, has been reported in acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction. However, the reported sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of SVS have been variable. Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is a newly developed MR sequence. Recent studies have found that SWI may be useful in the field of cerebrovascular diseases, especially for detecting the presence of prominent veins, microbleeds and the SVS. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic values of SWI for the detection of hyperacute MCA occlusion. Materials and Methods: Sixty-nine patients (37 males, 32 females; 46-89 years old [mean, 69.1]) with acute stroke involving the MCA territory underwent MR imaging within 6 hours after the symptom onset. MR examination included T2, FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery), DWI, SWI, PWI (perfusion-weighted imaging), contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) and contrast-enhanced T1. Of these patients, 28 patients also underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA) within 2 hours after MR examination. Presence or absence of SVS on SWI was assessed without knowledge of clinical, DSA and other MR imaging findings. Results: On MRA or DSA, 34 patients (49.3%) showed MCA occlusion. Of these patients, SVS was detected in 30 (88.2%) on SWI. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of SWI were 88.2%, 97.1%, 96.8%, 89.5% and 92.8%, respectively. Conclusion: SWI was sensitive, specific and accurate for the detection of hyperacute MCA occlusion.